INTERVIEW | KAREN BOSWELL Leading the revolution Karen Boswell OBE joined Baxi Heating as managing director during a time of significant change for the heating industry. She tells Alex Smith how the boiler manufacturer plans to lead the transition to low carbon heating and become carbon neutral by 2030 T he heat revolution is coming and weve got to be prepared. Baxi Heatings managing director Kate Boswell OBE is in no doubt that the governments pledge to decarbonise buildings will lead to a radical change in how heat and hot water is delivered to them. Heating accounts for around 40% of the UKs greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly through the burning of natural gas. For the UK to meet its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, boiler manufacturers such as Baxi will have to develop alternatives to traditional boilers and fast. As part of the roadmap to 2050, the government is proposing to ban gas boilers in all new homes by 2025. We are committed to a portfolio of cleaner products that work with low carbon fuels by 2025, says Boswell. Change is coming, whatever way you look at it, and we have to be ready to offer people what they require to take advantage of the heat revolution. Baxi, she adds, is changing the way it works, too: it is committing to be carbon neutral in all operations by 2030. Leading change is not new to Boswell. Before joining Baxi last September, she was a managing director at Hitachi Rail Europe, which also faces a major energy transition from diesel to electric and hydrogen. The solutions proposed by Boswell are around heat pumps, heat networks in dense urban environments, and hydrogen-ready boilers. We have a multistrand approach using a mix of technologies to offer solutions to the challenge, she says. Boswell advocates air source heat pumps for well-insulated new buildings, and Baxi markets them as part of its Assure range. For heating existing properties, she believes that hydrogen can replace natural gas. We see the repurposing of the gas grid to support hydrogen as a non-disruptive solution, particularly in poorly insulated buildings. It can capitalise on the existing infrastructure and transition us to a cleaner fuel source, she says. Baxi has been working with the UK government on hydrogen trials. It is involved in the HyDeploy energy demonstration at Keele University, where up to 20% of hydrogen is being injected into a natural gas network serving 100 homes and 30 faculty buildings. Alongside Worcester Bosch, Baxi is also showcasing hydrogen boilers at a 100% hydrogen housing demonstration project near Gateshead. Its important to work with gas providers to understand their requirements and see the part you play, Boswell says. is ready and adaptable, it can be adjusted for hydrogen in a simple, non-intrusive way, says Boswell, who believes the big challenge is around public understanding of what hydrogen will do. We have a lot of work to do to support consumer understanding. Affordability, consumer choice and acceptance is a big part of the journey, and we have to be careful to avoid fuel poverty, she says. Preparing engineers for the energy transition is also a big focus. Engineers are that hydrogen boilers will work in part because of the work done on hydrogen appliances by its Remeha brand in The Netherlands. Technically, were doing well, and I know well be able to make great products and the controls that manage it, she says. Baxi has called on the government to mandate hydrogen-ready boilers for new installations in 2025, and she says there will be commercial hydrogen-ready boilers on the market from 2024. The installation of hydrogen boilers could begin a long way before 100% hydrogen networks are available. If you have a boiler that Engineers are a precious commodity you need to nurture them and encourage them to adopt new technologies. The onus is on us 40 May 2021 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE May 21 pp40-41 Karen Boswell Supp.indd 40 23/04/2021 16:04